We examined the absorption of balenine (Bal) in mouse blood after the administration of a high-purity Bal prepared from opah muscle. Using HPLC with phenyl isothiocyanate pre-column derivatization, we successfully isolated imidazole peptides and their constituents. We detected Bal and 3-methylhistidine (3-Me-His) in mouse blood 1 h after the administration of opah-derived Bal. The concentrations of Bal and 3-Me-His significantly increased to 128.27 and 69.09 nmol/mL in plasma, respectively, but were undetectable in control and carnosine (Car)-administrated mice. In contrast, β-alanine and histidine did not increase in mouse plasma 1 h after the administration of Car and opah-derived Bal. The present study is the first report on the absorption of food-derived Bal in mouse blood and serves as a pilot study for future clinical trials.
Keywords: anserine; balenine; carnosine; opah; phenyl isothiocyanate; pre-column derivatization.